Charles Lindholm 
The Islamic Middle East [PDF ebook] 
Tradition and Change

The Islamic Middle East is a rare, thought-provoking account of the origins, nature, and evolution of Islam that provides a historical perspective vital to understanding the contemporary Middle East.

Cuprins

List of Illustrations.

Preface.

Acknowledgements.

Glossary.

Part I: Introduction:.

1. The Middle East: Assumptions and Problems.

Part II: Preconditions for Egalitarian
Individualism:.

2. Ways of Living.

3. Traditions of Authority and Freedom.

4. The Social Construction of Egalitarianism.

Part III: State and Society: Prophets, Caliphs, Sultans and
Tyrants:.

5. The Prophetic Age.

6. Early Struggles for Authority.

7. Sacred and Secular Rulers.

8. Novelties and Continuities.

Part IV: Sacred Power: Reciters, Lawyers, Incarnations and
Saints:.

9. The Essentials of Islam.

10. Recapturing the Sacred Past: The Power of Knowledge.

11. The Partisans of Ali.

12. Sufism in Practice.

13. The Contradictions of Saintly Authority.

Part V: Dilemmas of Subordination:.

14. Slaves, Eunuchs and Blacks.

15. The Ambiguities of Women.

16. Escapes from Distinction: Love and Friendship.

Part VI: Conclusion:.

17. Problems and Possibilities.

Chronology of Events.

Notes.

References.

Index.

Despre autor

Charles Lindholm is a University Professor at Boston University, before which he taught anthropology at Barnard College and at Columbia and Harvard Universities. His previous books include Generosity and Jealousy (1982), Culture and Identity: The History, Theory, and Practice of Psychological Anthropology (2000) and Is America Breaking Apart? (reprint edition 2001).